Hasta La Ideas

“Glimpses of the USA (pictured) made [Charles and Ray Eames’] career soar, as well it should have. Charles’ greatest interest was in ideas. Glimpses of the USA was not to show off; I think he just loved doing what he did. When he did the do-nothing machine, for instance, that was just because he liked to play. This was a guy who never grew up—he was never ashamed of what he did.

I think Glimpses of the USA was their biggest impact. They were lovers—with one another, with the world, and with their work. And that came through, so that it wasn’t just information well told (which it was). It was a kind of a love affair with America that Charles had that made him a good propagandist, because he really believed that this was a good country for him and for the rest of us. I think the inspiration derived from the enthusiasm and the commitment, as well as from any mechanics of design. So while the chairs changed their careers as designers, Glimpses of the USA changed their public roles as filmmakers and communicators.”

-Filmmaker Bill Jersey, whose feature-length documentary, Eames: The Architect and the Painter, premieres Monday on PBS

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.